Get your Hummingbird feeders up! ;->

Lethdun, Welcome, I agree with Doc, don't sweat the red dye. I use it sparely in my mix just to help me see the level. I always put out a sugar feeder, think it is called a humzinger will have to check the name later. It is my very favorite feeder very easy to clean and fill. Ric gave me a much more decorative one years ago but it doesn't work near as well and is much harder to clean so I didn't use it very long. We have a lot of plants that the hummers love and see them at the plants alot so I figure that we provide them with both the fast food diet and the good healthy stuff. I was very surprised when we first planted cannas how many hummers were drawn to them. In our area the cannas bloom late so there are flowers at home for them right now.

I think our hummers in North Central Pennsylvania have all headed South. One that left here is nearly all white. I suspect it took a bath in Clorox treated bird bath water. It was here for about three weeks. It had no trouble flying when we last saw it about the first week in October.

Thank you all again for your comments. Gert and I think the hummers have left us for the season. We haven't seen one in over a week. HollyAnn, I'll have to check out the humzinger when she isn't around. I'm thinking Christmas is just around the corner and I know she wants/needs two feeders. HA HA HA

Last night I had a "happy dream", mind you I had taken a pain pill for my wrist that I broke yesterday.
I dreamt there were three hummers that needed my help 2 babies and adult, they landed in my hands and I carried them to the feeder. They were this vivid blue color. The babies had short beaks and these black little eyes that just said "help us".
I must have head this thread just before turning in last night.

Back to reality, I have not seen a hummer in weeks so I took down the feeders and cleaned them.
pic of a hummer on this look-out perch guarding his feeder. 2008

Folks, it's official. I went the entire season and didn't see one. Very strange, it was such a great year for birds, bees and butterflies here. I think the hummers were boycotting my garden!!!

Diva, I do enjoy the birds. Most of the time, I'm too busy gardening to stop and take their photos.

Lethdun, sounds like Gert's in for a nice surprise.

stormy,

I'm so sorry that you had no hummers at all this season. Like you say, it's really strange, since if you've got birds, bees and butterflies, you're obviously growing the right sort of plants to attract them. Do you have any neighbors who also feed birds? Maybe you could check with them to see if they had a mysterious absence of hummers too.

I'm just back from a week on Sullivan's Island, across the river from Charleston, SC - we had temps in the 90s (record highs 2 days), along with the tropical humidity. I'm going into withdrawal this morning here in Northern VA, with cloudy skies and temps in the 50s... The pineapple sage is finally blooming, and my neighbors confirm that it's been over a week since a hummer has visited, so it's time to take down the feeder for this year.

And so it goes...

Thanks, Diva. Good idea, I will ask my neighbors. I kept thinking maybe that aggressive Blue Bird was keeping them away. Sounds like you had a nice trip. I've stayed at the Isle of Palms, but never Sullivan Island. There are now buds on my Pineapple Sage, but no blooms yet.

stormy,

I'm not sure if asking the neighbors will help solve the mystery, but a pattern might emerge that might help with the puzzle. Hummers are pretty aggressive, and will take on birds many times their sizes - it's funny to watch that here. The larger birds (usually goldfinches here) back off, looking quite puzzled about this angry critter buzzing around them. I don't get bluebirds in my yard, unfortunately, it's too wooded and there's not enough open space, so I have to enjoy them elsewhere.

As you know Isle of Palms is just "up the road" from Sullivan's Island, so they're much the same. It was a family "business" trip, not a real vacation, but I was delighted to be able to carve out time to get out on the beach for two spectacular sunsets, and two early morning shell-hunting strolls. It's a great walking beach - wide with a large packed area at the edge of the surf. I have to stop thinking about it now or I'll get back in bed and pull the covers over my head!!! ^_^

I have to stop thinking about it now or I'll get back in bed and pull the covers over my head!!! :-)
Me too!

My cardinal climber vine that hummers 'should love' is only now totally loaded with bloom.

Soooooooo Sally where are the pictures?

LOL, sorry Chris, I didn't get a picture this week and tomorrow is predicted rainy and may not work. Today was cool and they were small or not fully open. If I grow these next year I will start early. Maybe string up some strings and let them cover a privacy fence for more warmth too.

Sally, I should try that vine, but if it blooms later, I would have to start it inside also. Have you ever tried the Canary Vine? I planted it one year and it bloomed all summer, I liked the spring-green leaves and the flowers did resemble little canaries. Sorry no pictures, that was before DG and a digital camera. I did not see any hummers near it ( just keeping with the topic).

LOL, We do have our protocol.

Here's the cardinal vine in 46 degree wet fall weather, definitely unhappy! We have not had frost; I'd see that right away on other things. If only it had another month it would be awesome. I might switch to Canary vine--that might work better. Really, if I come up with a trellis on my south wall, that'd be great

Wow, that is just full of blooms. Worth an early start next year.
I have that trouble with Moonvines, can't get them to bloom before frost.

My Cardinal vine did not do good eather. Very sparse growing. NOT like other years.

I just chalked it up to all my seedlings having the same problem this year.

lady--I have plenty of seeds for this vine. Want some?
It is much like a MG. I think it may, actually, come up if you dropped some seeds in the place and let them sprout when ready next Spring.

Gita

Sally, I'm still having a hard time dealing with this wet and cold weather. Hard to believe that this time last week, I was sweltering in 90-degree weather, and walking on a beach. Sigh.

Anyway, you might want to try cypress vine, which is similar to your cardinal climber, but blooms earlier, and grows like crazy. (Also reseeds like crazy, but that's another story, and easy to deal with). As my Annapolis gardening friend says about its rampant reseeding, "It's the gift that keeps on giving". It's an heirloom plant - I bought my first packet of seeds at Monticello. The flowers are bright red (the hummers love it) , tiny and star-shaped, and the leaves are more feathery than the cardinal climber. Here's a link to an article on DG which has a photo:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1306/

ladygardener, I have tried to start moonflower vines early, to get them to bloom earlier, to no avail. I read in an article somewhere that their bloom time is keyed to the length of day or night, and there is a name for that, but it escapes me now. Moonflowers just won't bloom until late August or September here, and up where your are, that's probably getting too cold.

Gita, That would be great, but hold off sending any......If we have our Jan/Feb seed swap again I was hoping to send an envelope full of seeds to someone attending the swap and do a distance swap since I live so far away. I'd pay the return postage of course. You could include your seeds then.

DLD.... Thanks for the tip on the moonvine, actually late Aug early Sept can be quit warm here. When I lived in Pittsburgh I had no trouble with them blooming. That is only 2 1/2 hours south of here.

ladygardener,

No problem - I guess I'm just feeling like it's cold everywhere with this dreary weather we've been having the last few days! ^_^

and todays weather is the low point of the week so far. cold and all day rain. UGH

No rain here........................IT HAS ALL BEEN SNOW.

Yikes, doc! OK, I'll stop complaining about our cold rain now... ;-0

It Felt cold enough to snow as I grabbed pots to bring in.

Those hummers knew enough to go South two weeks ago. I saw a hornets nest today some thirty feet in the air on a power line. Folklore has it that the snow will pile up nearly that high this winter.

Doc, Maybe I need to think about adding a door in a second floor room, or we will be climbing in and out of a window this winter. LOL
Ric and I have been so busy since we got home that a few rainy days will give us a bit of a break but we still have a lot to do outside.

Doc, do I have to come over there and beat you with my cast!
They say this is to be a "mild" winter.
We have had snow accumulation that when our fire department had a call out in the country roads the snow was as high as the cabs, when the guys looked out the windows all they saw was a wall of snow.
Last year the snow did not get very high, but we got a lot of it. It just melted down each time.

The proverbial "THEY" have difficulty projecting weather for the next six hours.
Our wildlife often do a better job. We are told the female bears are already in their dens for the winter. That is about a month early. The black band on the wooley worms was longer than usual this early fall. The hornets are building high. The garden worms were down deep early. Our ermines are already white. The showshow rabbits are about into their white winter wear. Our rattle snakes had their young two to three weeks early. This means the adult rattle snakes returned to their dens early too. The ants on and in our patio moved down deep a month early. The fruit knats in our compost completed their seasonal presence early. Four to six inches of snow fell in the State College area October 15th. We got a light dusting of snow. This is the earliest snow since 1901 when similar amounts fell on October 18th. I would think the proverbial "THEY" just might be full of BALONEY.

I would like a mild winter but nature's indicators tell a different story.

Doc how is the "wild" apple and pear in your area. Last year those trees were loaded along the roadside where I travel to and from work. Someone told me that if they are loaded it will be a tough winter for the wildlife.

I think the "THEY" was the Farmers Almanac, as reported by the news when it was first published. Any thought on the FA ?

All apples and pears have every other year strong or heavy fruit. This can be changed by improper management or no management. I doubt anyone can determine or have a weather indicator just on the fruit alone. For instance a neglected tree can be brought back by cleaning it up. This should be done with not more that thirds removed in three consequetive years. The rule of thumb is to top it and remove interior limbs until a drunk robin can fly through blindfolded. In either case one may trim and thin when the axe is sharp.

The Farmer's Almanic is the second highest number selling book beside the Bible. The FA is based on the signs of the moon and the sun. Their predictions are likely to be as good as any based on large areas of the country. They do not attempt to forcast for small areas. At the very least it is fun to have a copy on the coffee table. One can compair the FA with the TV Weather reports. There is a great amount of growing information for one's consideration along with the weather predictions.

Isn't it fun to explore and have a discussion on the weather and predictions.

I really go by "get up a half hour early, look out the window, if snow on ground get rear in gear and give yourself enough time to get to your destination safely."

drunk robin... LOLOL
ladyg the half hour extra is very wise.
Heard this one? If you have thunder in winter, you'll have snow within...well, week, ten days two weeks I forgot which. But it makes sense, the thunder having been created by a strong frontal system or disturbance of some kind.

Sally that 1/2 hour works pretty well, until you go back to bed for that 1/2 hour and wake up to a blizzard, at that point I will just call in and take the day off.

Well the going back to bed sounds really good too if its at all an option! I might just test it out right now! Practice makes perfect!

I'm more of less ready for winter. My 6AM coffee break and town meeting have been tabled...somewhat. Sometimes I get up in time to go in and check the minutes of the meeting. Sometimes I drink a cuppa all alone because those other poor devils are still working.

Mickey D's cuppa and sausage bisquet is my treat for the days I get there. Sleeping in gets to be a habit too.

Nice day here. My helper is to show up about noon to help finish the outside clean up for the winter. I supervise for the most part. He's a keeper. College lad with another year to go for the conclusion of four year diesel mechanics training. Hope to keep him for a few hours a week. When he starts earning that level of pay and beating the pay schedule I may not be able to have him. He's already been offered a real good job when he graduates from Penn Tech a division of Penn State University. Next year he will be a work and classroom study student where the job offer came from.